On January 14–15, 2022, the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was destroyed by a volcanic explosion, estimated to be equivalent to a 10-megaton blast. The underwater volcano “Tonga” is located in the South Pacific situated under the uninhabited island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, now obliterated.
This eruption triggered tsunami warnings throughout the Pacific Ocean. The sonic wave was heard as far away as the Yukon region in Alaska, over 6,000 miles (10,000 km) away. Residents of Alaska report being woken up between 5:00 pm and 6:45 pm to a loud rumbling. Scientists believe the sonic boom was the loudest sound on earth to happen since the 1883 eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia, which was estimated to be 235 dB in the epicenter.
It is reported that shifting along the subduction zone caused seawater to enter into the magma formed chambers below the island. The combination of temperature change, pressure, water, and rock contributed to the once in a lifetime sonic event.
For more information review the reference articles below.
References
Brumfiel G. (2022) NASA Scientists Estimate Tonga Blast at 10 megatons. NPR. Morning Edition. January 18.
Carroll L. (2022) Noise from Underwater Volcanic Eruption across the Pacific Heard in the Yukon. CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada. January 15.
Staab W. (2016) Loudest Sound. Hearing Health Matters. November 22.
Related Posts
Honoring Our Service Members: Supporting Our Veterans
This Memorial Day, we honor those service members who have died in military service in the United States. The day was originally called Decoration Day, so named for the tradition of decorating graves with wreaths, flowers, and flags commemorating those who have passed on. While the day was widely observed after the Civil War, and…
Exploring New Sounds with the World’s Largest Trees
What does one of the world’s largest lifeforms sound like? That was a question Ari Daniel asked on a recent National Public Radio (NPR) “All Things Considered” episode. Pando is a quaking aspen tree that has spread to cover over 80 football fields in Fishlake National Forest, Utah. While Pando may resemble a forest, what…
Mental Health, Quality of Life, and Communication in Children Diagnosed with Hearing Loss
Based on parent and teacher report, the prevalence of mental health problems is twice to four times higher in children diagnosed with hearing loss when compared to those peers without a hearing loss. Interestingly, children who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/hh) and hard-of-hearing (HH) typically do not rate themselves as having significantly higher mental health…